Norfolk & Waveney Local Medical Committee represents all Norfolk and Waveney's GPs; this is a statutory function that goes back to the National Insurance Act of 1911. As the National Health Service has evolved LMCs' key roles have been maintained in successive Acts of Parliament.

LMCs, of which there are some 120 stretching from Orkney to the Isles of Scilly, are totally independent of the NHS and the Government, are run for GPs by GPs and are funded by GPs. This is because GPs are not "employed" by the National Health Service (NHS) but are "Independent Contractors", which is to say they and their practices operate "franchises" on behalf of the NHS subject to contractual terms and conditions that are regularly renegotiated nationally and locally. This means that the services available to patients from their GPs on the NHS are determined by what Goverment and Primary Care Trusts decide to contract GPs to undertake.

GPs are "principals", "salaried" or "freelance locums" but whatever their title they have the same qualifications/experience.

The Committee comprises GPs who are elected triennially by their peers based upon constituencies that are coterminous with the geographicl boundaries of two Primary Care Trusts, NHS Norfolk and NHS Great Yarmouth & Waveney. It meets on the third Tuesday of the month and is administered from offices at Wymondham. The Committee retains the services of a Chairman (elected by the Committee) and a Medical Secretary (appointed by the Committee) who, along with the Principal Executive Officer and two Committee Members, constitute the LMC Executive.

Local Medical Committees have strong links with the British Medical Association (BMA) through the General Practitioners Committee (GPC). The GPC itself comprises elected GP representatives from all UK regions and a two-way dialogue operates with the views of local GPs being relayed to the GPC in return for news, guidance and policy from the centre.

The business of Norfolk & Waveney LMC is largely performed by the Executive and compromises a number of basic functions. The Committee is the interface between GPs and the wider NHS. There is a need for constant dialogue and interaction with the various facets of NHS within Norfolk & Waveney. The Committee also regularly interacts with wider community services such as Social Services, the Police, Coroners, Dentists, Pharmacists and Optometrists. It has links with patients' representatives, medical undergraduate (UEA) and postgraduate training. It provides a contact point for GPs seeking help to resolve ethical, contractual and financial problems as well a source of factual information to resolve queries and dilemmas. An important part of its role is to support doctors who find themselves subject to allegations about their conduct or performance or who have become ill through their work. It is the contact for the local media on issues concerning general practice